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RAD! Forget the wife, I'd rock those. I had a GT Pro Freestyle Tour that color...

Caddyshack cleared now. For those of you who ride that section it would be great if you could keep an eye out for paths like the picture below coming down from trail to bcrt and block or re block them. There can't be any direct intersections from this trail or Snail touching bcrt. I blocked it fairly well up top. Haven't covered the visible path as I didn't have a rake on me. Thanks Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

Seven years ago, we paid a little less than $200k for a 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,400sqft house opposite MOPAC from Dick Nichols Park 78749. The short version of this story is that we could have paid a LOT more but made it work at the time. We got very lucky that the house never went to market. We make quite a bit more money now, but it's still a relatively blue collar income. No kids, that helps. But if we tried to buy a house in the area today, I can't imagine how we'd do it. my wife watches housing closely and it's insane. We could easily get $400k if we sold it as-is tomorrow. We're considering leaving Austin in the next year or two, but it would be a shame considering how good we have it. If we do, we'll probably keep our house and rent it out, which might make us part of the problem.

The first rule of home arson club is nobody talks about home arson club. oh, and I do have an extra wide lot because the cross street was laid out and never connected. Previous owner bought that land in the 70s or 80s I guess. But as tempting as selling is, when you are walking distance to both Draught House and Pinthouse, it’s worth staying.

If i read what's going on in this thread, stop worrying about how you can pull a trailer. use that old beach cruiser to pull the trailer around. get a mountain bike for riding trails. a few people do this, but I am anti-phone mount, especially on trails. use the GPS in your phone or smart watch if you want to track your rides, but putting the phone on your handlebar means you have an expensive, bulky, battery-eating device someplace that you don't need it for most recreational riding. there are some really nice phone mounts on the market, but it seems like an unnecessary risk unless you need CONSTANT access to something on your phone. I just tuck mine into my pocket, hip back, or backpack, whichever is available to me depending on the ride. additionally, mounting a phone on your bike is the fashion equivalent of tucking your oversized t-shirt into your khaki cargo shorts above your knee-high white gym socks with yellow and blue stripes at the top and white Reeboks. I know you're a dad, but you don't want to be that kind of dad, right? no apologies to those who do these things, but y'all are a bunch of dweebs. Just don't do it. if you find yourself riding a LOT and exploring new places, you might want a bike computer with mapping help. I just bought a Wahoo Bolt ($230) for that purpose, but I've been mountain biking for over a decade without one. you're not going to get truly lost in Walnut, but it could be useful if you start riding new and different places all the time. water bottle holder(s) and/ or a hydration pack (Camelback, Osprey, Costco usually sells cheap ones that work) is essential for all but the shortest rides in fair weather. Texas is hot and you don't want to be dragged out of the woods by a rescue crew because you passed out and ran face-first into a tree due to dehydration. a small bicycle-specific multi-tool and stuff to fix a flat tire is a good idea. protection: helmet is a must. don't be that guy. try a few on and buy one that fits the shape of your head. they don't all fit the same. I can't wear Bell hemets but Giro fits me fine. everyone's skull is a little different. most people like gloves—full-finger mtb gloves are great, but many people find convenient, cheap work gloves like Mechanix to work well. eye protection—if you need RX glasses for riding, your regular glasses will do. if not, I still recommend some clear safety glasses or some sort to keep debris out of your eyeballs. some people like tinted glasses, but I don't due to the constantly changing shadows in the trails under trees and creek under-passes. whatever you do, there's an open invitation to visit my garage to discuss fitting and adjustments/ maintenance. DM me if interested, especially if you buy a used bike and want it inspected.

if you're into making these yourself this guy has a great recipe. I made these about two months ago and they're fantastic. My wife and daughter loved them too. They're pretty easy but take about three hours to cook.

If I had been able to see ahead when I lived on Long Island I would have strapped myself and went for a $250K house when I bought my last. Houses that were selling for $250 in '99 when I bought my last house were selling for $750 in '04. The thing about buying in a sellers market is that you have to be willing to stay in that house for at least ten years to recoup your money. All of these bubbles are typically on a ten year cycle give or take.

I don't know about Burnett, but Liberty Hill is getting ridiculous as far as house pricing. A couple of years ago we had discussed selling and downsizing, but after we sell what do we buy? I looked into Liberty Hill and everything I looked at put me back into a fairly large mortgage payment for a smaller house. The problem with the current market is that you can make a bunch on your current house but can't replace it for what you make from it.

To me, its all relative. We can live in an expensive city and have to earn a lot of money, with high stress jobs to pay for the privilege of residing there. Residing, not living as you'll spend most of your time working, commuting and generally being too stressed to enjoy life. That's not even taking into consideration if you even have enough money after expenses to afford any real leisure activities. The risk is high and the fall is far if something goes crossways and as we all know, shit goes crossways. You could also live some place that's less populated, has great outdoor activities, a far better quality of life and is easily affordable. The hitch is you earn less and jobs are tougher to come by. We are leaning heavily towards the latter

That video belongs in the "parent bragging" thread! -CJB

We've got a Sr & a Jr (and a 6th grader). We are contemplating this same thing after our kids graduate. We've been here since the mid-90's and love the hills, lakes, food, etc.. But just last weekend we were both talking about how Austin has simply 'move away from us' over the passed 20yrs. I enjoyed the dope-smoking, birkenstock-wearing hippies, but I'm much less of a fan of the douchie, Lambo-driving 'shiny shirt crowd'. The cycling scene is amazing and that would be greatly missed. But I hear Bentonville has some good riding too.... 😉 On a real estate related note... In the past 6 weeks, I've had 3 separate occasions where someone in that world told me about a house that sold for $100k above asking price! And we are talking $4-500k homes. One of these people (a realtor) said that she is showing clients places out as far away as Jarrell(!!) as options to living in the ATX 'metro-flex'. WTF?!? @bestbike85 the answer to some of your questions are not unlike what has been happening in San Jose CA and Bay Area for past 10+ yrs. Blue collar, working type people simply just don't move in there. They move an hour away and commute in to the city. About 15 yrs ago I worked for a company that had home office near Malibu and I had heard some of the people that lived in the area talking about 50 yr mortgage loans! If your fiscally sensible and have a only moderate level job, then Austin is no longer a place for you. It just not... Later, CJB

Not if you regular rent it. More long term rentals are good. It's the airbnb and vrbo houses that are a problem.

There are a few things I have as criteria in order for a house to hold its value even in a down market: schools, mature trees/age of neighborhood (i.e. what is that new neighborhood going to look like 5-10years from now if things take a downturn?), and location. I have less problem buying something 1200-1400 sq. ft midtown for $800k right now than buying something farther out for $500k or whatever. We're selling my late MIL's house in Manchaca and we got letters from the people putting offers telling us why we should pick them. That's a thing now.

I don’t think that bike was meant for that. This should hit in May:

Does this come with little blue pills or something?

Rode brushy today, double down was slick on the rocks, should be good by now. But my reason for posting was to say thanks to the folks that did Bob Ross. Well done.

Big ass pile of cut cedar branches.

FYI, someone blocked Gumdrop, same spot that someone built a half assed fence for before. I haven’t been over there all week but plan to check it out after my 3pm meeting to clear it.

That'd be okay for $600. I'd guess 2018-19 X2 on this one i have a metric shit ton of gear that I no longer use that'd I'd be willing to give someone making a concerted effort to get into mountain biking. Also, in this market if something comes along thats worth buying but 300-500 over what you planned, just buy it. You're in a narrow spot wanting to test ride bikes vs ordering online. Probably bought the last 15-16 bikes online with no test ride. The current frame I'm building up for my wife had 20mm more travel over what I planned for, forcing me to buy a longer fork when I already had a 160mm one in perfect condition. It has snowballed from there but in the end beggars cant be choosers, will be fun and we'll get our money back one way or the next. Sometimes it's just more productive to dive into the deep end P.S. 100% worth the drive to Htown https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/255243449613604/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search

The three things that are required IMHO are, 1. Helmet - one that fits right 2. Gloves - full finger only, again IMHO 3. Eye protection - for me, that includes UV protection Depending on where I ride, various pads are also a requirement, along with a full-face helmet. Gear is a choice, but *for me* proper gear is a requirement.

Definitely a helmet. Skip the phone mount. I find that they don't hold up well on trails (maybe someone will disagree). a bike shop will throw a cage in as part of the deal. Maybe a used bike seller could do the same. You'll need something to securely carry phone, keys, ID (I always carry minimum some cash drivers license and health insurance ID) spares (tube, inflation method, chain master link). A saddle bag, a jersey with bad pockets, both.

I took @AntonioGG's advice and hit the trails with a cruiser yesterday just for fun. My wife has a decent cruiser with beefy tires, so it did "ok" on the roller trails. (Walnut Creek - Log loop, for example) This made me realize that my next big consideration is gear. Once I finally get a a bike, what sort of must-have gear should I be considering? Helmet? Phone mount? water bottle holder? Not looking to go gear crazy, but need to get an idea of the basics and factor that into the budget. Thanks again to all of you for your advice and feedback!!!

great advice.. thanks man. found one more... https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3874899125904992/?referralSurface=messenger_lightspeed_banner&referralCode=messenger_banner seller confirmed that its a Large frame, waiting for them to confirm the year.

the more I think about the possibility of moving out of Austin, the more insane it sounds. as I described above, we got the friggin deal of the century on our house. family nearby, decent jobs, endless great riding. I can't do anything about the oppressive summer heat, and I don't think I'll ever get used to that. I can't ride more than 90 minutes at a time for half the year. no amount of "acclimating" to effectively living on the Sun and drinking gallons of water an hour can help me with that. the only other thing I hate is my commute: 30 minutes there when I leave before 7 a.m. and 60 minutes on the way home because I am allowed to leave at 4 p.m. all that changed with the pandemic because we'll likely be working from home at least half of the time when that is a safe option again. I could probably look for another job that's closer to home too. for the reasons discussed here, it seems that most of the people who are making it here in Austin are a) renting and paying out the nose for it, b) up to their eyeballs in debt, c) make a ton of money, or d) bought a long time ago and are clinging to their homes for dear life as property taxes go up and up. I don't mind paying property taxes if I felt like it was going toward better schools for all, transportation solutions that are not idiotic (and effectively a total lack of a useful mass transit option), but i don't feel confident that is what is happening.

bury it and cover with lye

We went to Liberty Hill and Bertram. While a bit more affordable (especially Bertram), there is nothing available. I would love to live in Burnett, Llano or even Marble Falls, but the wife is a Nurse Practitioner and has to actually show up to an office to see patients. A bit different than me dealing with people across the globe from the comfort of my house shoes. So she has ruled out those long commutes.

Another go, but slo-mo: Cheers, Shaner FullSizeRender.mov

Welcome to Long Island, circa 2004. I bought my last house on Long Island for $125k in 1999 sold it in 2004 for $300k. After 9/11 nobody wanted to live in the city so they started buying houses in the suburbs. Drove housing prices through the roof. I suspect that some of that is happening here due to the pandemic. Good luck just be mindful that you're trying to buy in a sellers market. Meaning the house you buy my devalue once all the dust settles.

lyrik rebuild begins

Stopped by St Elmo today after work. So far the Tator is okay. Definitely a doppelbock meets cream ale vibe on this one.

Sounds like you should burn your house down, collect the insurance, then sell your lot...twice. (remove bikes first)

Texas Hill Country Overnighter This was just posted on Bikepacking.com. It's a overnight ride that includes an overnight stop at Castell for supper and camping at the nearby Leifeste Campground. The ride starts at a campground on a private ranch on FM 16 between F-burg and Llano. I'll note that four years ago we did two rides starting at Castell and had planned to camp at Leifeste Campground. It was October -- I think this must have been just after the three-day Columbus Day weekend -- and the place was completely beat up; portapotties were overflowing. It was so unappealing we went to the Castell Store and found a little cottage rental with no kitchen. So -- we had beds to sleep in but we used our camping set up and cooked outside. Anyway, Leifeste Campground is right on the banks of the Llano, so a lovely setting. They are Leifeste Campground in Castell on facebook and the phone is 254-717-3305. Sounds like they have some electrical hookups now and call ahead to check on reservations. UPDATE: Leifeste Campground has gotten some love since we were there last. Sounds much better now.

I work for an awesome company and awesome manager. We have flex time. If I get my job done they're happy. That means I'm working right to closing up a few items for the day at 11pm while Paris-Nice stage 4 is on in the background.

In my head, these ramps are awesome and I want them.. In reality, my 62 year old bones say HELL NO.

79 hours without power and 30 hours (and counting) without water didn't stop me from getting in at least 1 good Walnut snow ride. This was the only time I was ever nervous about the Mark's Art log over! Riding in Walnut Wonderland. Breaking trail on .6. The good news is that all the deadfall from the first ice event and the first snow event (so until Wednesday morning) was cleared. I haven't been back since Tuesday so I don't know what the second ice event brought down.

Dog attack at Walnut Creek today. The rider put the bike between himself and the dog and the dog bit the tires. Apparently two other people were possibly bitten. This pic is from this KVUE article: 2 people treated after ‘possible’ dog attack on north Austin park trail